Intercircuit communications apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

Method and apparatus for communicating numeric data between first and second circuits incorporating a controller communicatively coupled to the first circuit to receive the numeric data, and an accumulator communicatively coupled to the second circuit and the controller, the accumulator comprising accumulator logic managing reference data, the controller being responsive to the numeric data selectively causing the accumulator logic to increment or decrement the reference data to match the numeric data. The accumulator will notify the second circuit of the so-updated reference data. In one embodiment, three signal lines (UP, DN, CLK) are used by the controller to direct the accumulator to increment, decrement, reset or hold the reference data. In another embodiment, only two signal lines are used at the expense of reset complexity.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is generally directed to digital communications and is specifically concerned with intercircuit communications utilizing a reduced set of signal lines.

BACKGROUND

The past decade has witnessed a remarkable miniaturization of electronic devices with ever increasing complexity and functionality. The move towards enhanced functionality while minimizing circuit size has led electronics designers to incorporate more functionality per integrated circuit (“IC”) as well as integrate the functions previously handled by a group of ICs into a single IC. In either case, a side effect of larger scale integration has been the issue of how to send and extract aggrandizing amounts as well as more varied types of data to and from these super-size chips. The conventional response has been to increase pinout of the chip carrier packages housing such ICs thereby providing more potential connection points to other electronic components and devices, including other ICs. But, once nominal two-dimensional pin density has been achieved in traditional circuit board applications, as in the case of ball grid array and pin grid array packaged ICs, further increasing the number of pins or leads requires a proportionally larger chip package and consequent circuit board real estate to accommodate them. Moreover, additional pins means additional circuit traces and lead lines which increase circuit board layout complexity, opportunities for noise and interference in high-speed and RF applications, and cuts against opportunities for further size reduction.

In another approach, especially useful in price-sensitive consumer applications, the industry has re-embraced the use of commodity or modular integrated circuits which can easily be cobbled together to perform required functionality. This approach avoids having to design a custom integrated circuit and its attendant high development, production and testing costs. However, the market still requires more functionality in a smaller package, electronics designers still must place a premium on board real estate and must make general efforts to reduce or minimize the number of chip traces as well as focus on smaller modular chips having smaller landing areas and consequently more compact or reduced chip carrier pinouts since pinouts are becoming a primary limiting factor in chip carrier minaturization. Accordingly, in either approach there is a need to reduce the number of pins required as well as the number of traces or intercircuit communication lines that need to be accommodated in order to carry out interchip and, more generally, intercircuit communications.

FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified diagram of a circuit board 50 including first and second IC chip carriers or chips 60, 80 disposed thereon. A generic communications path 70 communicatively couples the first and second chips 60, 80 and typically includes one or more signal traces. It would be advantageous to reduce the number of traces within the communications path 70 and ultimately reduce pinout requirements for communicating information between the first and second chips along this path 70.

FIG. 2 illustrates an prior art interchip communication scheme consistent with the board level environment shown in FIG. 1. In particular, this figure illustrates conventional intercircuit communication between an RF-baseband conversion circuit 100 and a baseband processing circuit 150 of a wireless receiver. This wireless receiver may be configured for operation consistent with the base IEEE 802.11 (1999) Standard as well as the high rate PHY extensions IEEE 802.11b (1999), IEEE 802.11a (1999), and/or draft IEEE 802.11g (2002). Thus, the RF circuit includes an RF to IF demodulator 103, a variable gain amplifier (“VGA”) 105, and an IF to baseband downconverter 107 to present the baseband analog signal bearing the received data of interest to the baseband processing circuit 150. The VGA 105 forms an operational part of a self-adjusting or automatic gain control system which spans the ICs 60, 80.

The automatic gain control system seeks to optimize the amplitude of the still phase-modulated analog IF signal 104 generated by the demodulator 103 to ensure that the dynamic range of the analog-to-digital converter (“ADC”) 115 of the baseband processing circuit 150 is fully utilized when converting the baseband version 108 of this signal into digital form. Gain feedback from the output of the ADC 115 or the adjacent bandpass filter or FIR 129 is utilized to automatically compensate and control the variable gain amplifier 105. However, since the feedback is obtained within the second chip 80 and the VGA 105 is formed within the first chip 60 as part of the RF-baseband processing circuit 100, the feedback must be sent across an interposing interchip data path such as the data path 70 shown in FIG. 1. To that end, feedback output of the ADC 115 or the FIR 120 (depending on the implementation) is fed to a gain comparison unit 152 of an automatic gain control (“AGC”) feedback unit 151 for comparison against an ideal or nominal gain signal (“GAIN TARGET” in FIG. 2) as is well known in the art. The instaneous gain error 155 resulting from this comparison then undergoes low-pass filtering by the digital low pass filter 125. The digital low-pass filter then generates a 6 bit binary vector, a type of numeric data representing the adjusted gain setting GAIN_(N) the VGA 105. In this arrangement, the adjusted gain setting GAIN_(N) is synchronously transmitted across a set of signal lines 130 (data lines D0 . . . D5 & clock) to the RF-baseband conversion circuit 100 via decoder 110, which in turn recovers gain compensation information (“COMP” in FIG. 2) necessary to control the VGA 105 based on the received GAIN_(N) numeric data. Assuming the VGA 105 has 64 programmable gain settings, 6 bits of numeric data is needed to convey the adjusted gain setting, and so six signal lines 130 D0 . . . D5 plus a CLOCK signal are used to transmit the numeric data in parallel gain amplifier 105. Thus, according to this approach, seven signal lines or traces is required to synchronously convey GAIN_(N) numeric data from the baseband processing circuit 150 to the RF-baseband conversion circuit 100. In a limited pinout environment, this represents a relatively wasteful number of dedicated pins (seven on each chip).

As few as two pins on each chip 60, 80 would be required to directly transmit the numeric data using conventional serial transmission techniques. But because of the rapidly changing gain characteristics exhibited by received signals formatted in accordance with the above-mentioned 802.11 standards as well as the processing overhead required, conventional serial transmission of the numeric data is believed to be an unsuitable choice.

Thus, in addition to reducing pinout and circuit traces generally, it would be advantageous if a number of the signal lines 130 needed to convey numeric data could be reduced in order to reduce circuit board 50 real estate and associated pinout requirements for the first and second chips 60, 80. In RF applications such as described above with reference to FIG. 2, reducing the number of necessary circuit board signal traces including signal lines 130 to convey numeric data between chips 60 and 80 is believed to of particular importance here because of their potential for picking up stray RF noise and interference.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To address these and other perceived shortcomings, the invention is directed to a method and apparatus for communicating numeric data between first and second circuits incorporating a controller communicatively coupled to the first circuit to receive the numeric data, and an accumulator communicatively coupled to the second circuit and the controller, the accumulator comprising accumulator logic managing reference data, the controller being responsive to the numeric data selectively causing the accumulator logic to increment or decrement the reference data to match the numeric data. The accumulator will notify the second circuit of the so-updated reference data.

In one disclosed embodiment of the invention, three signal lines (UP, DN, CLK) are used by the controller to direct the accumulator to increment, decrement, reset or hold the reference data. In another embodiment, only two signal lines are used at the expense of reset complexity.

The inventive method and apparatus permit significant trace and pinout savings over parallel transfer yet are believed to be more timely responsive than conventional serial transfer, including where changes in numeric data are relatively continuous.

Additional aspects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments thereof, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates an operating environment in which intercircuit communication according to the prior art and according to the disclosed embodiments of the invention may be practiced.

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of a prior art intercircuit communication scheme.

FIG. 3 is a wireless receiver incorporating an intercircuit communication apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a simplified block diagram of an intercircuit communication apparatus according to a second embodiment of the invention generally interchangeable with the intercircuit communication apparatus shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a more detailed block diagram of the accumulator 300 shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart detailing processing undertaken by a controller consistent with the disclosed embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of a wireless receiver incorporating an intercircuit communication apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention. In comparison with the conventional wireless receiver shown in FIG. 2, the receiver FIG. 3 augments the aforementioned digital low pass filter 125 with a difference controller 310 communicatively coupled to a complementary accumulator 300 interposing it and the decoder 110 shown in FIG. 2. The controller 310 has two binary logic signals UP, DN (down), and CLK (clock) presented on three respective signal lines 305, 320, and 315. The difference controller 310 asserts these UP, DN and CLK signals based on a comparison between the adjusted gain setting GAIN_(N) generated by the AGC 151 and the previous gain setting GAIN_(N-1) contained in memory 311 within or otherwise accessible to the controller 310. Here, assertion or issuance of the UP signal on the signal line 305 by the controller 310 causes the accumulator 300 to, in conjunction with the decoder 110, increase the output of the gain of the variable gain amplifier 105 at rate in accordance with the frequency of the clock signal CLK on line 315. The DN signal, when issued by the controller 310, causes the accumulator 300-decoder 110 tandem to decrease the gain of the VGA 105.

More particularly, the accumulator 300 increments a gain value on each CLK pulse asserted on line 315 where the UP signal is at logic 1 or true and the DN signal is at logic 0 or false, and decrements the reference data on each CLK pulse while the UP signal is at logic 0 or false and the DN signal is at logic 1 or true. The updated reference data, which corresponds to the adjusted gain setting GAIN_(N), is sent by the accumulator 300 to the decoder 110 where it is converted into native gain compensation control information for the VGA 105 when a predetermined time interval has elapsed since the last CLK pulse, thereby altering the gain characteristics of the VGA 105 responsive to the feedback perceived by the controller 310. In other words, the controller communicates the numeric data representing a new or updated VGA 105 setting ascertained on the basis of feedback information provided by the output of the ADC 115 or FIR 120 and notifies the accumulator 300 of such numeric data indirectly by using the up and down signal lines 305, 320 in conjunction with the CLK line 315 to adjust reference data (gain) managed by the accumulator 300 until it matches such numeric data. Thus, even where the gain resolution of the VGA 105 spans up to 64 programmable levels, and six bits of data is ordinarily required to identify the desired gain level, this embodiment demonstrates that only three signal lines including a clock are necessary between baseband processing circuit 360 and the RF-baseband conversion circuit 350.

It should be noted that a reduced number of signal lines are employed at the expense of the extra time and processing needed to increment or decrement the accumulator reference data to match the controller numeric data. However, consistent with this embodiment, additional UP/DN signal combinations may be utilized to reset the reference data to one of two known states in order to more quickly arrive at a reference data matching the numeric data of interest. If both the UP and DN signals are at logic level 0 or false during a CLK pulse, the accumulator 310 resets the reference data to a first predetermined gain level, such as the initial gain associated with the first antenna of a diversity receiver implementation. Likewise, if the UP and DN signals are both at logic level 1 or true during a CLK pulse, the accumulator 310 resets a reference data to a second predetermined gain level, such as the initial gain associated with the second antenna in the diversity receiver implementation. Further, if no CLK pulse is detected after VGA updating has occurred, the accumulator 310 holds the reference data at its current value, i.e., the gain is held constant.

Referring briefly to FIG., FIG. 9 is a more detailed block diagram of the accumulator 300 shown in FIG. 1. Here, an accumulator logic unit 905 receives and interprets the UP, DN and CLK signals asserted on signal lines 305, 320, and 315 respectively by the controller 310. The accumulator logic unit 905 also internally manages the gain reference data within memory 925 (such as through the use of an appropriate number of D flip-flops sufficient to store the numeric data of interest). In a diversity receiver implementation, the initial value of the accumulator may be obtained from one of two programmable configuration registers (not shown in the figures.) containing the initial gain of the receiver using either the first or second antennas respectively. In other implementations, other initial values, may be programmed into the accumulator depending on operational requirements as is known in the art. These initial gain information are identical to the initial gain in the RF chip to be consistent . . . . The accumulator logic 905 is strobed by the CLK 315 to reconstruct the same GAIN_(N) as calculated in the baseband processor. This GAIN_(N) signal then goes to the decoder 10 current the GAIN_(N) signal into corresponding COMP information native to the VGA 105 to control the VGA 105 responsive to the updated gain setting GAIN_(N).

A summary of the logic relationship between the UP, DN, and CLK signals in accordance with the first disclosed embodiment may be had with reference to the following table:

CLOCK UP DOWN ACTION Active 0 0 Reset to first predetermined gain level: e.g. initial gain for first antenna Active 0 1 Decrement gain Active 1 0 Increment gain Active 1 1 Reset to second predetermined gain level: e.g. initial gain for second antenna No Clock — — Hold gain

It should be noted here that the accumulator logic unit 905 can conveniently implemented using dedicated and/or programmable logic circuitry arranged as a finite state machine following the state transitions shown in the above logic table discussed above with reference to FIG. 6. Alternatively, the accumulator logic unit 905 can be implemented in whole or in part using a programmed information processor such as a general purpose microprocessor, microcontroller, or specific purpose processor such as a digital signal processor programmed in accordance with this table. Further, it should also be noted that even though a decoder 110 is shown here to convert the GAIN_(N) signal into corresponding updated reference data) VGA control information (COMP), in alternative embodiments and implementations such conversion need not be required and the updated reference data could be used directly.

Processing undertaken by the difference controller 310 (or controller 510) and AGC 151 on a per packet basis will now be detailed with reference to FIG. 6. Processing begins at step 1110, in which the controller directs the accumulator to reset the gain to the first or second initial receiver pathway gain level based on the current pathway information from the diversity receiver antenna select logic (not shown in the figures). Control then transitions to step 1135 in which the previous gain setting is equated to the first or second selected gain level. Control thereafter transitions to step 1115.

At step 1115, a comparison is made by the AGC 151 between the received feedback and an ideal gain signal in order to determine the instantaneous gain error 155. Then, in step 1120, the DLPF 125 of the AGC 151 recovers the adjusted gain setting GAIN_(N) and transmits this to the controller 310 (or 510). Control thereafter passes to step 1140, in which the controller 310/510 directs the accumulator to increment or decrement its internal gain value based on the difference between the new and previous gain settings. Steps 1135, 1115, 1120, and 1140 thereafter reiterate in sequence until the receiver state machine reaches a pre-programmed state, the AGC stops and the gain is held at the final settled value. Controller AGC processing thereafter terminates. It should be noted that the gain is held at the final settled value until reset to the first or second predetermined values at the beginning of the next received packet (step 1110).

It should be noted here that in this embodiment, the above mentioned processing should execute once per CLK cycle of the digital signal undergoing feedback analysis, which is produced by the ADC 115. As such, this processing may be implemented by dedicated high speed logic in isolation or in combination with an information processor such as a microprocessor or microcontroller as is well known in the art programmed in accordance with the processing detailed above with reference to FIG. 6, as long as the processing can be achieved generally within these timing parameters.

Turning now to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a simplified block diagram of an intercircuit communications apparatus according to a second embodiment of the invention. This intercircuit communications apparatus, including an accumulator 500 of a first circuit 550 communicatively coupled to a controller 510 of a second circuit 560, differs from the communications apparatus shown in FIG. 3 primarily in that a single signal line +/−520 and the CLK 515 are used by the controller 510 to notify the accumulator of numeric data such as updated variable gain amplifier setting information. When CLK is high, the accumulator 510 increments the gain reference data if the +/− signal 520 is also high (true), and decrements the gain while the +/− signal 520 is low (false). In this embodiment, resetting the accumulator 500 to one of two predetermined gain levels such as the initial gain levels for the first and second receive pathways in a diversity receiver implementation may be achieved through e.g. detection of certain CLK transitions on the CLK signal line 515, or assessing the state of the +/− signal 520 while the CLK signal is not asserted. In either case, the CLK signal 515 may be treated as a signal line to help define at least four states (increment, decrement, hold, reset), and so a separate free-running clock signal (FR CLOCK) may be used to drive the synchronous components of the accumulator 550. This free-running clock may be conveniently operate at a higher frequency than the CLK frequency to enable the accumulator to easily distinguish transitions in the +/−520 and CLK 515 signals.

The actual composition of the accumulator 500 according to the second embodiment of the invention is similar to that of the accumulator 300 shown in FIG. 5, with the obvious difference in the type of signals being handled and the state transitions undertaken. Similar to the preceding embodiments, the accumulator logic unit may include any combination of dedicated logic circuitry, programmable logic circuitry including ASICs, or information processors capable of responding to the signal transitions noted above.

It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that many changes may be made to the details of the above-described embodiments of this invention without departing from the underlying principles thereof. For example, the numeric data need not be limited to any particular type of numeric data such as adjusted or initial gain settings or levels as presented in the above described embodiments. It is in fact contemplated that intercircuit communications techniques consistent with the present invention are not so limited and are intended to encompass the notification of numeric data generally. Likewise, although the above-described embodiments focus in on a type of intercircuit communication involving chip to chip communication (i.e. interchip communication), the teachings of the present invention are not meant to be so limited and can conveniently be implemented any time a first electronic circuit, device or component needs to notify a second electronic circuit, device or component of numeric data, regardless of any interposing chip boundaries. The scope of the present invention should, therefore, be determined only by the following claims. 

1. An apparatus to communicate numeric data between first and second circuits, comprising: a controller communicatively coupled to the first circuit to receive the numeric data; an accumulator communicatively coupled to the second circuit and said controller, the accumulator comprising accumulator logic managing reference data, the controller being responsive to the numeric data to selectively cause said accumulator logic to perform at least one of an increment function and a decrement function to update the reference data to match the numeric data, the accumulator to notify the second circuit of the updated reference data; a first signal line interposing said accumulator and said controller, said first signal line capable of bearing a first signal issued by said controller, said accumulator logic to increment the reference data responsive to the first signal; and a second signal line interposing said accumulator and said controller, said second signal line capable of bearing a second signal issued by said controller, said accumulator logic to decrement the reference data responsive to the second signal.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second signals each express one of a true and a false state; and wherein the apparatus further comprises a third signal line interposing said accumulator and said controller, said third signal line capable of bearing a third signal issued by said controller, said accumulator logic to increment the reference data when said accumulator logic receives the third signal while the first signal expresses the true state, said accumulator logic to decrement the reference data when said accumulator receives the third signal while the second signal expresses the false state.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said accumulator logic resets the reference data to a reset value when said accumulator receives the third signal while the first and second signals concurrently express a same one of the true and false states.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the reset value comprises a first predetermined value when said accumulator logic determines that the first and second signals concurrently express the false state; and wherein the reset value comprises a second predetermined level value when said accumulator logic determines that the first and second signals concurrently express the true state.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus forms part of a wireless receiver defining first and second receive pathways; and wherein the first and second predetermined values comprise an initial gain for the first and second receive pathways.
 6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first circuit comprises an automatic gain control feedback unit, an output of said feedback unit communicatively coupled to said controller; the numeric data comprises an adjusted gain value; and wherein the second circuit comprises a decoder communicatively coupled to a variable gain amplifier and said accumulator to receive the updated reference data and generate gain compensation information for the variable gain amplifier.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 forming part of a wireless receiver.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said controller is disposed within a first integrated circuit; and wherein said accumulator is disposed within a second integrated circuit.
 9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said controller and said accumulator are commonly disposed within a single integrated circuit.
 10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said accumulator and said controller are disposed within first and second chip carriers respectively.
 11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said accumulator and said controller are commonly disposed on a chip carrier.
 12. An apparatus to communicate numeric data between first and second circuits, comprising: a controller communicatively coupled to the first circuit to receive the numeric data; an accumulator communicatively coupled to the second circuit and said controller, the accumulator comprising accumulator logic managing reference data, the controller being responsive to the numeric data to selectively cause said accumulator logic to perform at least one of an increment function and a decrement function to update the reference data to match the numeric data, the accumulator to notify the second circuit of the updated reference data; a first signal line interposing said accumulator and said controller, said first signal line capable of bearing a first signal issued by said controller, the first signal capable of expressing one of a true and a false state; and a second signal line interposing said accumulator and said controller, said second signal line capable of bearing a second signal issued by said controller, said accumulator logic to increment the reference data when said accumulator logic receives the second signal while the first signal expresses the true state, said accumulator logic to decrement the reference data when said accumulator receives the second signal while the first signal expresses the false state.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said accumulator logic resets the reference data to a reset value when said accumulator logic perceives a predetermined transition in one of the first and second signals. 